Governor's Statements of Objection (Veto)
HB895 HD2 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: May 7, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO TAX ON TOBACCO PRODUCTS OTHER THAN CIGARETTES
Unintentionally suspends the tax on all tobacco products other than cigarettes, would lower the proposed tax increase on cigarettes, and establishes a taxing regime on cigars that is counter to federal requirements and would be virtually unenforceable. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB1741 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: May 7, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO THE CONVEYANCE TAX
Discourages investments and weakens the economy by raising the conveyance tax up to 257 percent, from $0.35 to $1.25 per $100 of property value. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB1747 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: May 7, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO TAXATION
Discourages investments and weakens the economy by raising the income tax by up to 33%, from a top marginal income tax rate of 8.25 percent to 11 percent. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB1111 SD1 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: May 7, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO TAXATION
Exacerbates declines in visitor arrivals and tourism industry job losses by raising the transient accommodations tax by 28 percent over the next two years. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB1405 HD2 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 1, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO THE GENERAL EXCISE TAX
Places Hawai‘i companies, particularly those involved in on-line website development that make customer referrals to out-of-state businesses, at a competitive disadvantage to mainland and international firms by attempting to tax the activities of these out-of-state businesses. Furthermore, the bill is legally defective in that it violates Article III, Section 14 of the Hawai‘i State Constitution regarding the subject matter each bill can include within its scope. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB 912 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 6, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO PERMANENCY HEARINGS
Jeopardizes $38 million in annual funding from the federal Administration for Children and Families, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB 1611 HD2 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 6, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO LABELING OF MEAT AND FISH PRODUCTS
Attempts to regulate the gas treatment of meat and fish in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution because this area is pre-empted by federal law and compromises the ability of the State to enforce the Hawai‘i Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB 690 HD2 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 6, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO INSURANCE
Requires health insurers to extend coverage to part-time employees of a group or association, in violation of the provisions of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB 1058 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 6, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
Sets up a Task Force on medical marijuana and salvia divinorum. Until federal marijuana laws are changed, State law enforcement agencies should not be asked to recommend ways to violate these laws through access, transport, or increases in the use of marijuana. Salvia divinorum can be added to the list of controlled substances, if deemed necessary, without the convening of a task force. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB36 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO HEALTH
Erodes the general fund by up to $2.1 million per year by increasing the amount of money retained in the Environmental Health Special Fund. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB343 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO RURAL PRIMARY HEALTH CARE TRAINING
Appropriates $140,000 in general funds to the University of Hawai‘i for a program they did not include as a priority in their own budget. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB358 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO DRUG TREATMENT
Would allow the courts to place drug offenders convicted of crimes in secure drug treatment facilities, but there are no such facilities in Hawai‘i, nor are there plans to build any by the Judiciary or any other State department. The potential fiscal impacts of such a facility would be significant and could not be afforded at the present time. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB982 HD3 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE
Appropriates $10,000 from the Department of Labor’s Special Fund for Disability Benefits to finance a family leave data collection system. Such a system is not critical to the functioning of State government and this bill represents a misuse of the original intent for these funds. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB986 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES
Imposes conflicting building standards on school construction, which is estimated to increase the costs of school buildings by 8-15%. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB989 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE
Appropriates $400,000 in State general funds to extend the Hawai‘i Children’s Health Care Program for three years, moneys that are outside the budget and a program that provided free, taxpayer-subsidized health insurance for children whose families previously paid for that insurance. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB1504 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO HEALTH
Duplicates the work of the State Health Planning and Development Agency by establishing the Hawai‘i Health Authority to develop a comprehensive plan to provide health care in Hawai‘i and appropriates $50,000 from the State Health Planning and Development Special Fund to develop the plan. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB266 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO GLOBAL WARMING
Limits the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s ability to focus on tourism promotion and marketing at this critical time for Hawai‘i’s main industry by appropriating $100,000 from the Tourism Special Fund to study climate change. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB423 SD1 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO HEALTH
Appropriates $12,291,054 in State general funds to access federal matching funds for payments to Hawai‘i hospitals. Due to the State’s fiscal status, there are no general funds available to provide the requisite State match. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB1665 SD2 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 10, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION
Appropriates $2.4 million from the unemployment insurance trust fund, of which $200,000 would be given to each community college for programs that are already available through the University of Hawai‘i and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB1692 HD2 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 13, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO HOUSING
Requires the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority to conduct a pilot project in state public housing but fails to address the underlying causes, including self-sufficiency programs and abundant low income rental housing. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB1160 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 13, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO THE HAWAI‘I PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY.
Prohibits the sale of any land developed for public housing. This will inhibit the Administration’s ability to manage State resources, as well as conflict with Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority's ongoing plans for mixed-use development. The bill is technically flawed because it adds new statutory language prohibiting the sale of public housing land while still retaining the old statutory law allowing Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority to “sell, exchange, transfer, assign, or pledge, any property, real or personal, or any interest therein to any person or government.” One section of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes will purport to take away a power that another section of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes still clearly grants. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
SB1350 SD2 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 13, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO KAKA‘AKO
Would adversely impact affordable housing options in the state by creating a new reserved housing mandate for developers of both commercial and residential property in Kaka‘ako that is unrealistic and unworkable. This bill will hurt large and small landowners alike by halting development for owners with lots larger than 20,000 square feet and discouraging owners with lots smaller than 20,000 square feet from consolidating their properties. Places a temporary moratorium on building permits during a period of economic decline when we should be encouraging construction activity. Read the Governor's statement of objection.
HB31 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 14, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
Creates a new restriction on employers that prevents them from being able to inquire into an individual’s credit history for employment purposes. If enacted, this bill has the potential to jeopardize an employer’s ability to protect safety and financial security in the workplace. Read the Governor's statement of concern.
HB952 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 14, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO LABOR
Removes the right of workers to vote by secret ballot regarding whether or not they want to join a union, eliminating one of the most fundamental and valued democratic principles – the secret ballot. Also mandates timelines for collective bargaining and gives employees, but not employers, the ability to recover attorneys’ fees and costs in prohibitive practice complaints. Read the Governor's statement of concern.
HB1479 HD2 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 14, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO LABOR
Places an undue burden on contractors by requiring them to submit a fringe benefit reporting form to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for both union and non-union workers working on public works contracts. Contractors must already comply with all applicable laws for doing business with the State and this bill imposes an unnecessary burden on them which has no public benefit. Read the Governor's statement of concern.
HB1676 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 14, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO PUBLIC WORKS
Inappropriately requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to enforce private collective bargaining agreements covering workers on public works projects financed through Special Purpose Revenue Bonds. Grievances related to collective bargaining agreements should be addressed through the Hawai‘i Labor Relations Board or the National Labor Relations Board, not the Department of Labor. Read the Governor's statement of concern.
SB695 SD1 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 14, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
Requires employers to continue paying for workers’ compensation medical care after it has been determined that continued treatments are inappropriate, excessive, or an independent physician has determined the employee is ready to return to work. Read the Governor's statement of concern.
HB128 HD1 SD1 CD2
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO ELECTIONS
Restricts the ability of the Governor to fill vacancies on the Campaign Spending Commission, changes the percentage of political contributions by non-residents, enables certain State and county contractors to contribute to political campaigns, and allows candidates to provide significant sums to political parties. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB183 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO EDUCATION
Fails to rectify fundamental flaws in the operation of the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB541 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO CIVIL SERVICE PERSONNEL
Attempts to extend the Department of Education’s reliance on the executive branch civil service system, despite the 2005 Reinventing Education Act’s requirement for a separate Department of Education civil service system, but contains a defective effective date. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB590 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES
Duplicates language contained in HB1464 which was passed and signed into law as Act 155. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB754 HD1 SD1 CD2
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO THE HAWAI‘I TOURISM AUTHORITY
Transfers the tourism and research statistics function to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, which could jeopardize the independence, accuracy, and reliability of tourism data since the information will no longer be developed by an independent, neutral party. In addition, this bill removes four members representing the Administration from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board. These members represent key agencies with missions that directly relate to the tourism industry. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB975 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL WATER SYSTEMS
Unnecessarily exempts the transfer of agricultural water systems from the long-standing county subdivision and land recordation process. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB1271 HD3 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO GOVERNMENT
Extracts $31 million per year from Hawai‘i residents by imposing a barrel tax on all petroleum used in the State, without materially changing the ability of the State to meet its energy independence and food security goals. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB1471 HD2 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO FARMS
Inappropriately uses Tourism Special Funds for an agricultural food safety pilot program that lacks accompanying enforcement requirements or meeting special funding criteria. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB1525 HD1 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO MEDICAID
Requires the Department of Human Services to include additional reporting requirements in all future Medicaid health insurance plan contracts, which are irrelevant to the State's monitoring of these contracts and access by patients to quality health care. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB1538 HD1 SD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTALLY-SENSITIVE PRODUCTS
Requires the Department of Education to grant a procurement preference to environmentally-sensitive cleaning and maintenance products for use in public schools that are certified by only one private organization, rather than relying on U. S. Environmental Protection Agency certifications. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB1544 HD1 SD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO TAX EXEMPTIONS
Increases taxes on Hawai‘i residents by reducing the Hawai‘i income tax personal exemption by 2 percent for every $2,500 over the income threshold of $119,963 for individual filers and $179,963 for joint filers. Hawai‘i’s personal exemption is already very low at $1,040, less than one third of the federal allowed exemption ($3,500). Read the Governor's statement of objections.
HB1552 HD2 SD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS
Violates Article XI, Section 5 of the State Constitution by singling out a parcel of land in a specific locale that grants special privileges to private individuals on that land. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1 SD1 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO OPIHI
Establishes unenforceable and inconsistent standards and procedures for the harvesting of opihi. The Department of Land and Natural Resources can handle this issue through existing ocean management regulations. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB19 SD1 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO PROCUREMENT
Increases the cost of State public works projects by providing procurement preferences on public works projects to bidders who are party to a registered apprenticeship agreement with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, even though their price to construct the project is higher. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB43 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT
Requires doctors to pay a $60 physician workforce assessment fee, in addition to the $240 they must already pay, when renewing their medical license for a program that the John A. Burns School of Medicine did not include as a budget priority. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB50 SD1 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCERS
Sets onerous terms and conditions for leasing public lands without auction to renewable energy producers. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB387 SD1 HD1 CD2
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO THE STATE BUDGET
Unnecessarily transfers various programs and divisions within the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to other departments that do not have an expertise in economic development and diversification. Also requires the Governor to report all budget restrictions to the Legislature 30 days after the end of each quarterly allotment period. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB415 SD2 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO HOME CARE AGENCIES
Requires the Department of Health to license home care agencies, a function that belongs in the Department of Human Services. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB420 SD2 HD2
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
Expands the scope of practice of naturopathic physicians by authorizing them to administer injections, perform minor office procedures (i.e., minor surgeries), and prescribe medicines and certain drugs, for which they may not have sufficient training. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB539 SD1 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO CORRECTIONS
Proposes an inappropriate, vague, and unfunded legislative reorganization of the Department of Public Safety’s Intake Services Division and proposes the establishment of a Reentry Commission which is unnecessary and duplicative of the work of an existing commission. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB605 SD1 HD3 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO NOISE
Establishes an unrealistic maximum nighttime noise level for urban areas that may be unenforceable by the Department of Health and county liquor commissions. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB777 SD1 HD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY HEALTH EDUCATION
Adversely impacts the State's ability to fund sex education programs that teach abstinence. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1005 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO PUBLICITY RIGHTS
Inappropriately attempts to register and treat publicity rights as if they were equivalent to the registrations and protections of a business trade name. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1183 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES
Unnecessarily requires the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission to adopt administrative rules by the end of the year to change certain definitions related to the Americans with Disabilities Act when they already have the authority to do so. Further, there is no federal requirement to change these definitions at the state level at this time. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1206 SD1 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO COUNTIES
Interferes in the authority of the City and County of Honolulu City Council to determine if the Board of Water Supply requires their approval to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1218 SD2 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO MORTGAGE LOAN ORIGINATORS
Fails to establish a regulatory framework that complies with the federal Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1224 SD1 HD2 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Overridden, Becomes Law
RELATING TO AIRPORT CONCESSIONS
Adversely impacts the revenues of the State airport system necessary for the operations of the airports and to fund the Airport Modernization Plan. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1250 SD1 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO EDUCATION
Increases the length of time that the Department of Education may employ unlicensed teachers, making the State non-compliant with the requirements of No Child Left Behind. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1345 SD1 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE
Requires disproportionate compensation to certain lessees of public lands when the Board of Land and Natural Resources withdraws a portion of their leased lands for a public purpose. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
SB1678 SD3 HD1 CD1
Veto Date: July 15, 2009 Veto Stands
RELATING TO TAXATION
Abdicates the setting of State tax policies to a national governing board established under the Streamline Sales and Use Tax Model Agreement and Act when Congress enacts this agreement. Read the Governor's statement of objections.
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